jargon

See also: Jargon

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɑː.ɡən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɑɹ.ɡən/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)ɡən
• Hyphenation: jar‧gon

Etymology 1

From Middle English jargoun, jargon, from Old French jargon, a variant of gargon, gargun (“chatter; talk; language”).

Noun

jargon (countable and uncountable, plural jargons)

1. (uncountable) A technical terminology unique to a particular subject.
2. (countable) A language characteristic of a particular group.
   • 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, OCLC 1069526323, page 11:

     They [the Normans] abandoned their native speech, and adopted the French tongue, in which Latin was the predominant element. They speedily raised their new language to a dignity and importance which it had never before possessed. They found it a barbarous jargon; they fixed it in writing; and they employed it in legislation, in poetry, and in romance.

   • 2014, Ian Hodder, Archaeological Theory Today:

     In fact all the competing theories have developed their own specialized jargons and have a tendency to be difficult to penetrate.

3. (uncountable) Speech or language that is incomprehensible or unintelligible; gibberish.

Synonyms

• (language characteristic of a group): argot, cant, intalk
• vernacular

Derived terms

Terms derived from jargon

• jargonaut
• jargoneer

• jargonist
• jargonistic

• jargonization
• jargonize

Translations

technical terminology unique to a particular subject

• Armenian: ժարգոն (hy) (žargon)
• Belarusian: жарго́н m (žarhón)
• Bulgarian: жарго́н (bg) m (žargón)
• Catalan: argot (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行話 (zh), 行话 (zh) (hánghuà)

• Czech: žargon (cs) m
• Danish: fagsprog n
• Dutch: jargon (nl) n, vaktaal (nl) f, visserslatijn (nl) n
• Esperanto: ĵargono
• Finnish: jargon (fi), ammattikieli (fi)
• French: jargon (fr) m
• Friulian: zergon m
• Galician: tecnicismo m, xerga f
• Georgian: ჟარგონი (ka) (žargoni)
• German: Fachjargon (de) m, Fachsprache (de) f
• Greek: ιδιογλωσσία f (idioglossía)
• Hebrew: עגה‎ (he) f (agá), ז'רגון‎ (he) m (zhargón)
• Hungarian: szaknyelv (hu), szakzsargon (hu), szakmai nyelv
• Indonesian: jargon (id)
• Irish: béarlagair m

• Italian: gergo (it) m
• Japanese: 専門用語 (せんもんようご, senmon yōgo), 業界用語 (ぎょうかいようご, gyōkai yōgo), 隠語 (ja) (いんご, ingo)
• Korean: 은어 (ko) (euneo)
• Latvian: žargons m
• Macedonian: жарго́н m (žargón)
• Malay: jargon
• Maori: kupu-ā-kaupapa
• Piedmontese: gergh m
• Polish: żargon (pl) m
• Portuguese: jargão (pt) m
• Romanian: jargon (ro) n
• Russian: жарго́н (ru) m (žargón)
• Spanish: tecnicismo (es) m, jerga (es) f
• Swahili: istilahi
• Swedish: jargong (sv) c
• Turkish: jargon (tr), argo (tr)
• Ukrainian: жарго́н m (žarhón)
• Yiddish: זשאַרגאָן‎ m (zhargon)

language characteristic of a particular group

• Armenian: ժարգոն (hy) (žargon)
• Bulgarian: жарго́н (bg) m (žargón)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行語 (zh), 行语 (zh) (hángyǔ)

• Czech: žargon (cs) m
• Dutch: jargon (nl) n
• Finnish: slangi (fi), jargon (fi), ammattikieli (fi)
• French: jargon (fr) m
• Georgian: ჟარგონი (ka) (žargoni)
• German: Jargon (de) m, Fachsprache (de) f
• Greek: ιδιογλωσσία f (idioglossía), ιδιόλεκτος (el) f (idiólektos)
• Hebrew: עגה‎ (he) f (agá), ניב‎ (he) m (niv), ז'רגון‎ (he) m (zhargón)
• Hungarian: zsargon (hu), tolvajnyelv (hu)

• Irish: béarlagair m
• Macedonian: жарго́н m (žargón)
• Polish: żargon (pl) m
• Portuguese: gíria (pt) f
• Russian: жарго́н (ru) m (žargón)
• Spanish: jerga (es) f, argot (es) m
• Swedish: jargong (sv) c
• Turkish: jargon (tr), argo (tr)

incomprehensible speech

• Czech: žargon (cs) m
• Dutch: gebrabbel (nl) n, gewauwel (nl) n, wartaal (nl) f
• Finnish: mongerrus (fi), siansaksa (fi)
• French: jargon (fr) m, charabia (fr) m
• Georgian: აბდაუბდა (ka) (abdaubda), უაზრობა (uazroba)
• German: Jargon (de) m, Fachchinesisch (de) n
• Greek: ακαταλαβίστικα (el) pl (akatalavístika)
• Hungarian: halandzsa (hu), blabla (hu)

• Irish: gibiris f, dríodar cainte m
• Japanese: たわごと (tawagoto)
• Portuguese: algaravia (pt) f
• Russian: тараба́рщина (ru) f (tarabárščina)
• Spanish: jerigonza

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} مُصْطَلَح‎ m (muṣṭalaḥ) (1), ^{(please verify)} لُغَة غَيْر مَفْهُومَة‎ f (luḡa ḡayr mafhūma) (2)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} ĵargono, ^{(please verify)} jargono
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} bahasa kacau

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} gergo (it) m
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 行話 (zh), ^{(please verify)} 行话 (zh) (háng huà) (1, 2), ^{(please verify)} 隱語 (zh), ^{(please verify)} 隐语 (zh) (yǐn huà), ^{(please verify)} 黑話 (zh) (hēihuà) (3), ^{(please verify)} 黑话 (zh) (hēihuà) (3)
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} زبان تخصصی‎ (ẕaban-e ṯaḳassosi), ^{(please verify)} زبان مخفی‎ (ẕaban-e maḳfi)
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} jargon (vo)

Verb

jargon (third-person singular simple present jargons, present participle jargoning, simple past and past participle jargoned)

1. To utter jargon; to emit confused or unintelligible sounds.
   • 1837, Thomas Carlyle, “Fatherland in Danger”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume III (The Guillotine), London: James Fraser, […], OCLC 1026761782, book III (The Girondins), page 184:

     Prussian Trenck, the poor subterranean Baron, jargons and jangles in an unmelodious manner.

   • 1863 November 23​, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Poet’s Tale. The Birds of Killingworth.”, in Tales of a Wayside Inn, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, OCLC 840321886, page 195:

     [T]he noisy jay, / Jargoning like a foreigner at his food; […]

Etymology 2

Noun

jargon (plural jargons)

1. Alternative form of jargoon (“A variety of zircon”)

Further reading

• Jargon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jargon in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• "jargon" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 174.

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Dutch

Etymology

From Old French jargon (“chatter, talk, language”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑrˈɣɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: jar‧gon

Noun

jargon n (plural jargons, diminutive jargonnetje n)

1. A jargon, specialised language

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Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from English jargon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑrɡon/, [ˈjɑrɡo̞n]
• Rhymes: -ɑrɡon
• Syllabification: jar‧gon

Noun

jargon

1. jargon

Declension

Inflection of jargon (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		jargon	jargonit
genitive		jargonin	jargonien
partitive		jargonia	jargoneja
illative		jargoniin	jargoneihin
		singular	plural
nominative		jargon	jargonit
accusative	nom.	jargon	jargonit
	gen.	jargonin
genitive		jargonin	jargonien
partitive		jargonia	jargoneja
inessive		jargonissa	jargoneissa
elative		jargonista	jargoneista
illative		jargoniin	jargoneihin
adessive		jargonilla	jargoneilla
ablative		jargonilta	jargoneilta
allative		jargonille	jargoneille
essive		jargonina	jargoneina
translative		jargoniksi	jargoneiksi
instructive		—	jargonein
abessive		jargonitta	jargoneitta
comitative		—	jargoneineen

Possessive forms of jargon (type risti)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	jargonini	jargonimme
2nd person	jargonisi	jargoninne
3rd person	jargoninsa

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒaʁ.ɡɔ̃/

Etymology 1

From Old French jargon, gargun ("cheeping of birds"), from a root *garg expressing the sound of the throat or referring to it. See gargouille, gargariser, gargoter.
The initial /ʒ/ sound comes from a softening of /g/, as in jambe

Noun

jargon m (plural jargons)

2. jargon, specialised or unintelligible language

Derived terms

• jargonner
• jargonnesque

Descendants

• → Czech: žargon
• → Dutch: jargon
• → English: jargon
• → Esperanto: ĵargono
• → German: Jargon
• → Hungarian: zsargon

• → Macedonian: жаргон (žargon)
• → Polish: żargon
• → Portuguese: jargão
• → Russian: жарго́н m (žargón)
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: жа̀рго̄н

  Latin: žàrgōn

• → Spanish: jerga
• → Swedish: jargong
• → Turkish: jargon

Etymology 2

From Italian giargone. Doublet of zircon.

Noun

jargon m (plural jargons)

2. jargon, a zircon type

Descendants

• → Catalan: jargó
• → English: jargoon
• → German: Jargon
• → Greek: γιαρκόν (giarkón)
• → Russian: жарго́н (žargón)
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: жаргон

  Latin: žargon, jargon

• → Spanish: jergón

References

“jargon” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Middle English

Noun

jargon

1. Alternative form of jargoun.

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Old French

Noun

jargon m (oblique plural jargons, nominative singular jargons, nominative plural jargon)

1. talk; chatter; conversation; talking

Descendants

• French: jargon
  • → Czech: žargon
  • → Dutch: jargon
  • → English: jargon
  • → Esperanto: ĵargono
  • → German: Jargon
  • → Hungarian: zsargon
  • → Macedonian: жаргон (žargon)
  • → Polish: żargon
  • → Portuguese: jargão
  • → Russian: жарго́н m (žargón)
  • → Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic: жа̀рго̄н

    Latin: žàrgōn

  • → Spanish: jerga
  • → Swedish: jargong
  • → Turkish: jargon

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Romanian

Etymology

From French jargon

Noun

jargon n (plural jargoane)

1. jargon, slang

Declension

Declension of jargon

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) jargon	jargonul	(niște) jargoane	jargoanele
genitive/dative	(unui) jargon	jargonului	(unor) jargoane	jargoanelor
vocative	jargonule		jargoanelor

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Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from French jargon.

Noun

jargon (definite accusative jargonu, plural jargonlar)

1. jargon

Synonyms

• argo

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Volapük

Noun

jargon

1. gibberish
2. A jargon, specialised language